In My Daughter's Eyes
by Jedi Princess Jainakin
Summary: A songfic, centered around Han and Jaina.


**a.n. Well, ideas for this song have been on my mind for awhile now and I finally decided that I'd write something down. So here it is. As always, names, places, etc. ain't mine. All belong to GL and his associates. Also, the song is In My Daughter's Eyes by Martina McBride and I don't own that either.**

In My Daughter's Eyes

_In my daughter's eyes I am a hero  
I am strong and wise and I know no fear  
But the truth is plain to see  
She was sent to rescue me  
I see who I want to be  
In my daughter's eyes_

Han Solo stared lovingly into the crib before him. There she was, his newborn daughter, his little girl, his Jaina. Never in his whole life would he have dreamed he would be witness to an event such as this. Sure, when he was younger, he had always hoped to someday have a family of his own. But the harsh life of a smuggler soon squashed these dreams and instead he concentrated on surviving, making money, and just getting through each day as it came. He never cared for anything or anyone, except for Chewie, of course. It wasn't until Leia came into his life that his feelings and priorities began to change. He knew the first time that he laid eyes on her that she was special and he was determined to never let her go. Of course, it did take a little dip in carbonite for them to finally express their true feelings for each other, but if he was stuck between that or never having Leia in his life again, he would gladly prefer the carbonite. After all, it was that admission that got them to where they were today. Their relationship had had a rocky start, but every step along the way, every obstacle that they have had to overcome, every hardship that they have had to face were all worth it because of the moment he was witnessing right in front of him. Without any of that, he and Leia wouldn't be here, together, and they wouldn't have the two precious children that lay in front of him, little Jacen and Jaina, his little princess. He did love Jacen, but to him there was just that special bond between fathers and daughters, a bond that is only superceded by the bond between mother and child. Whenever he looked at his daughter, memories of his past flooded his senses. Some, he was proud of. Others, he wasn't. But he knew that no matter what, he always wanted to be there for his little girl. He wanted her to be able to look up at him with pride and admiration. He wanted his little girl to be proud of him. He made a vow to himself that he would do everything in his power to please his daughter, to make her happy, to be the father that he knew she deserved.

_In my daughter's eyes  
Everyone is equal  
Darkness turns to light  
And the world is at peace  
This miracle God gave to me  
Gives me strength when I'm weak  
I find reason to believe  
In my daughter's eyes_

His daughter was growing up too fast for him, of that he was certain. It seemed to him that just yesterday she was a baby, crying for attention or waiting to be fed. But that was nearly five years ago and today, Jaina was a precocious five-year-old, always on the move, always getting into trouble with her two brothers. As a father, he couldn't help but feel some sort of nostalgia for the way things were. He was glad, of course, that his daughter was becoming her own person, developing her own personality. But she was also becoming more independent. And that's what unnerved him the most. She was becoming as independent and strong-willed as her mother and he could often see some of his own brash qualities in his young daughter. She was determined to do things on her own and he knew she got frustrated when she couldn't quite accomplish something by herself, but she never stopped working at it until she succeeded. In one sense, he was glad that she had such determination that drove her to succeed. But he couldn't help worrying about where that drive would get her in the future. As a young child, she was immune to all the heartache and troubles going on in the galaxy around her and she couldn't see anything wrong with being determined. But the accomplished smuggler and soldier knew better. He knew what the galaxy was like. He had fought in battles and lost many a good friend and comrade to cockiness and overactive determination. He knew that over ambition, too much determination for success, could be deadly. He didn't want his little girl to fall prey to such dangers, and he told himself that he would always do everything within his power to protect her. As he glanced over at Jaina, happily playing with her brothers in their room, he knew that it would be a long time before he would have such fears. Jaina had no concept of such things as good and evil, light and dark. To her, everyone was a friend and he decided that for now, he would allay his fears and not worry about such things until the time came.

_And when she wraps her hand around my finger  
Oh it puts a smile in my heart  
Everything becomes a little clearer  
I realize what life is all about_

Twelve years old. He couldn't believe it. His little girl was twelve years old. She was quickly growing up and becoming a young woman before his very eyes. Today, she and Jacen were leaving for their uncle's Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. As he stood with his wife on the landing platform, watching as the shuttle that would take their oldest children to the Academy got ready to leave, he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. He couldn't bear to let his little girl go. He wished that they could go back to simpler times, when Jaina was a little girl, one whose laugh could light up the room, that little girl who would come running to him on those nights when she insisted there were monsters under her bed, a sweet little angel who always tried to please her father, make him proud of her. He couldn't be anymore proud of her if he tried. Though she had not yet reached her teen years, she had already seen and done much in her young life that made him proud to be her father. She was an ace mechanic and pilot. She was a courageous fighter and soon, she would become a Jedi. She was so many things, and each and every one of them filled him with pride. He smiled as the shuttle lifted off, watching as his children went to begin a new stage in their lives. He realized that no matter what happened, no matter what she became or where she went, he would be proud to be called her father and he realized that that is what life truly is all about…being there for your children, encouraging them to be whoever they wanted to be.

_It's hangin' on when your heart  
Is had enough  
It's givin' more when you feel like givin' up  
I've seen the light  
It's in my daughter's eyes_

There she was, his little girl, in her element. Standing in the doorway to the landing bay, he saw his daughter across the way, laughing and joking with her fellow pilots. He couldn't believe she was all grown up, what a beautiful young woman she had become. Despite everything that has been going on recently, everything she has lost, everything that has happened to her, Han mused, she was still able to find some joy, some happiness in her tragic young life. She may have lost much to this war, friends, comrades, family, Han thought with a pain in his heart, but she has still been able to find some spark of hope in an otherwise dismal situation. Without her hope and her fierce determination and perseverance, this war would have been lost long ago. She inspired hope in everyone, even those who felt like they had none left. She was a fierce warrior who would fight for what she believed in to bring peace and safety to the galaxy and those she loved. One only had to look at her, look at the strength and the pain and the wisdom in her eyes, to know that she would do anything for anybody, the mark of a true Jedi. Han fervently hoped that after this war, that after everything she has been through, Jaina would be able to cut back a little and find someone someday who would inspire hope and love in her, much like she did in those around her. He wanted his daughter to be happy, to fall in love, to have a family of her own. She had brought hope and happiness to so many others that he hoped she would be able to find the same, sometime in her life. He knew that then, when she had found such happiness and love in her life, would he truly feel complete, knowing that he had encouraged her to follow her dreams to be who she wanted to be. He caught her eye as she glanced his way and as she smiled at him, he could see her love for him shining brightly. That look told him that she loved him, that she was thankful to him for always being there for her, for his encouragement, love, and support. He returned her smile with one of his own, one of fatherly affection and devotion. He knew then that if he were to die right then and there, he would die a happy man, knowing that his daughter loved him, that he had made his daughter happy, that she was proud of him and everything he did for her, that he truly was a hero in his daughter's eyes.

_In my daughter's eyes  
I can see the future  
A reflection of who I am  
And what we'll be  
And though she'll grow and someday leave  
Maybe raise a family  
When I'm gone  
I hope you'll see  
How happy she made me  
For I'll be there  
In my daughter's eyes_


End file.
